Man, Marvel is hitting hard and fast with the Doc Ock projects in preparation of next summer's big-screen Spider-Man sequel. First, we get Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure, and then a Spectacular Spider-Man story arc. Now, another limited series. It seems like a bit much for a character who's rather come across as more than a one-dimensional super-villain, better suited to serve as a punchline to Spidey's jokes than a real threat. Still, Mitchell opens on a strong note, given the reader a vision of the character that s/he can recognize in him or herself, but ultimately, he tells a generic super-hero story that's surprisingly burdened by mainstream Spidey continuity.
Doctor Octopus revels in his scientific genius, but when he hits a new Manhattan bank, he finds himself thwarted by a new vault with an liquid electromagnetic lock that resists even his powerful arms. As always, an untimely appearance by Spider-Man sends the criminal running, but Peter Parker knows he won't stay hidden for long. When a news crew and the target bank lauds the young up-and-coming scientist who developed the lock, Doc Ock springs back into action.
Keron Grant's style is far more suited to the action-oriented quality of this story than the more character-driven world of New Mutants. I'm surprised that his linework here seems much slicker as well, as there are three artists credited with inks. Grant has certainly come a long way since the chaotic artwork he provided for Iron Man a few years ago. His use of the Humberto Ramos redesign of Doc Ock is the most pleasing I've seen so far, and he actually manages to give Octopus a menacing look without sacrificing the lighter tone of the story.
Mitchell makes a smart move by opening the story with a sympathetic look at Otto Octavius. He humanizes Doc Ock right off the bat, but after the flashbacks, that more grounded tone isn't to be found... at least, not in this first chapter. Still, Mitchell does make it easier to relate to this character. It's his hard-earned pride that pushes him to this extreme, and it makes the character much more readable.
Unfortunately, the plot is terribly crude, in that it relies on far too many Silver Age-like coincidences to propel it forward. The boy genius who grabs Doc Ock's attention just happens to be a former student of Peter Parker? Please. Furthermore, Mitchell refers to Peter and Mary Jane's marital problems in this script, and it adds nothing to the story save some confusion for those who aren't up on events from the regular Spidey titles form a couple of years ago.
